AT this time, I think Carlo Paalam and his family have heard all the possible puns headline writers can make off his name. But I guess they’ll have to endure one more, since Paalam will end our Olympic stint in Tokyo with his flyweight finals at 1 p.m.
By the time he gets on the ring, we will know if Yuka Saso, who tees up on Saturday at 6:59, could somehow conjure a miracle and get a podium finish from 20 places back.
So yes, Paalam will be the last athlete to cheer for.
Will we, I’m sorry, say goodbye to the Olympics with a gold by Paalam?
They haven’t faced each other yet, but based on boxrec.com, they’ve had common foes. Before racking up four wins in Tokyo, Paalam’s (43-11, 1 KO) last loss was to Saken Bibossinov in the boxoff of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament by majority decision. To get to the finals, Yafai (32-11), beat Bibossinov by unanimous decision.
Before getting relegated to the boxoff against Bibossinov, Paalam also lost by majority decision to Amit Panghal, who lost in the 2018 Commonwealth finals to Yafai.
But, as always, that sort of history no longer counts in the final and given Paalam’s impressive showing so far, he’s shown total disregard for a foe’s resume.
Didn’t he end the reigning world and Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov’s march in the round-of-32?
Win or lose, this is already our most successful Olympic stint ever. I remember the 0-0-0 haul in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London and how we had to settle for promises to do better next time.
Now, a better showing next time means another historic milestone.
So on Saturday, Aug. 7, let’s all cheer for Paalam. We can all have a play with his name afterwards and I think he and his family will be more forgiving because that would mean we’re in cloud 9 with a second gold medal.
And on Saturday too, let’s all root for a miracle by Saso, the reigning US Women’s Open champion who is playing in her first Olympics. She gave herself an outside chance with a four under in round three. USA’s Nelly Korda, the daughter of former tennis pro Petr Korda, leads the field at 15 under, India’s Ashok Aditi is second at 12 under, while four are tied for third at 10-Under.
Can Saso overcome such odds? Well, as they say, there’s nothing left to do but try.